


Sign of Love

by Dances_In_Ashes



Category: Resident Evil (Movieverse)
Genre: F/F, Family Fluff, Post-Retribution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2018-09-15 08:32:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9226829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dances_In_Ashes/pseuds/Dances_In_Ashes
Summary: Jill learns some sign language to surprise their daughter Becky.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This disregards anything from the Final Chapter. Pretty much something that's been stuck in my head since I walked out of the theatre for Retribution. SwanQueen4tw on ff.net helped inspire me to finally write it, so thank her by checking out her work!

"I can't talk to her," Jill says with frustration, kicking at a piece of junk as they scour the deserted town for supplies. She knows she's angry for reasons she can't control, but also because she had taken Becky's hearing aids for granted. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to find batteries, so they didn't use them very often so as to conserve them, and while Becky could read lips relatively well, she envied the ease with which Alice communicated with their daughter.

And eventually their supply of batteries will run out. It's a matter of when, not if. 

"I can teach you," Alice says, giving her a sideways look, doing that thing where she smiles just ever so faintly from one corner of her mouth. 

The former STARS member scoffs, "I took four years of Spanish, and all I can say are the numbers, 'dog,' ask for the bathroom, and order another beer." Her hands tightened around the backpack straps, knuckles going white. "Pretty sure learning a non-verbal language is out of the question."

Inclining her head, Alice reaches out to touch her shoulder briefly. Human interaction still doesn't come easy, Jill knows, and she takes comfort in the small gesture. It meant so much more than a hug from anyone else. 

"You're tactile; I'll bet you pick it up in no time."

She inclines her head slightly at a fluttering noise, but it's only a little sparrow dust bathing. 

She smirks in Jill's direction. "Besides, you've always been good with your hands."

This earns her a snort, and this time she smiles -really smiles.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a hearing person, and my knowledge of sign language if very limited, though I've been relearning a lot in the last few years -but cursing in ASL is definitely not my forte. If anything is wrong, offensive, said incorrectly, let me know ASAP so I can correct it. I want this to be a positive fic, and I want to expand both my abilities as a writer and as an advocate -but I can't do that without feedback.
> 
> Thank you, I appreciate your patience and kindness.

"Okay, you try." 

Concentrating, Jill moved through signing A through G, singing under her breath as she went, only faltering at F. Nonetheless, she got them right and Alice nodded.

"Alright, let's try the next set. For H you keep the same sign as G, but add your middle finger," she gestured along with her words, Jill following along. "And I," she made a relaxed fist, keeping her pinky up. "J..." she moved her hand so the pinky, still in the I position, made the shape of a J in the air. "K..." 

Jill mirrored each sign as Alice went, practicing in groups, until they'd completed the full alphabet. She scrunched her nose at X -it was such an odd sign, but she supposed that worked since X was an odd letter itself. And back through the alphabet she went, repeating until she could finish the whole thing without stumbling. 

"Congratulations," Alice chuckled. "Now we go out of order. What's Q?"

"Not fair," Jill muttered, doing the upside-down almost-pinch that stood for Q.

"E..."

Paw-looking sign with her thumb under her nails.

"T..."

The sign that reminded her of her grandpa and when she was little, and he would play 'got your nose,' to which she had once cried. She chuckled at the sign, and eventually Alice nodded success. 

"On to numbers."

And so they practiced until Jill could recall the numbers and alphabet without much hesitation.

"See? Told you you'd be good at it." Alice has called it quits for the night, citing time for dinner, and is digging through the duffelbag they keep their food stored in. It's dark, and quiet where they've set up for the night, and although the temperature has dropped since sundown there's still a lingering warmth which makes only a light jacket necessary. 

So Jill tugs on the edge of her hood, tucking away a loose strand of hair. It has since grown out from when she'd cut it short -as soon as she'd been able, she'd cut away the blonde, a reminder of her enslavement to Umbrella- so it was back to it's original black, and straggling around her jaw. Alice had laughed, saying she looked cute with short hair (okay, she hadn't used the word 'cute,' but she'd known what she'd meant).

"You say that now.... wait until I have to have an actual conversation." She took the canned fruit Alice passed her, and set about cutting through the lid with her tactical knife.

Her partner sat next to her, not remotely cold, and perhaps even radiating warmth. "You sell yourself short." She popped open her can with the edge of her knife like it was nothing, and Jill glared at her. Alice shrugged sheepishly. "You put together what was happening long before anyone else; you're smart, Jill. Smart enough to learn signing." She bumped her shoulder against Jill's playfully.

In the weak candlelight -more for Jill's benefit, really- the woman signed A-S-S, to which Alice chuckled and tapped against her head with an 'A' sign.

Staring at her a moment, Jill finally scoffed. "Seriously? My first word in sign language, and it's a swear."

"Gotta start somewhere," she took a bite of the baked beans, then nodded at Jill's can. Wordlessly, they swapped, and after a few minutes of silence Alice leveled a soft smile at the former special ops agent. "I'm really glad you want to do this," she says gently, looking down at the syrup-drowned peach slices. "I know it can't be easy with Becky being deaf, and you've been so patient with her."

Cocking her head to the side, Jill stared at her a long moment. She knew the woman had more to say, and given she wasn't prone to conversation involving feelings, she stayed silent.

"It will mean a lot to Becky...." She shifted uncomfortably, but settled when she felt Jill press against her side encouragingly. "It means a lot to me." Alice stiffens, and says softly, "I was like her, once."

Jill glances up at her at that, schooling her surprise. This was new. As it was, Alice really didn't talk about her past, mostly due to the fact that she didn't remember it. But, as they'd learned, it came back to her in flashes, in dreams... fragmented and often distorted, but this seemed to be something she'd withheld. Perhaps she was afraid, maybe embarassed. But she acted like she'd known this particular memory for a while, and she can practically feel her partner withdrawing almost instantly.

"You were non-hearing?" She questioned, setting the baked beans down on the ground in front of her. "Did Umbrella..."

"No," she whispered, "when I was young. I could hear a little, but not.... not like other people. I don't- I don't really remember. I know I could barely hear, but then there's a doctor and.... it seems to clear after that. I- I can't.... I..."

Jill reaches over, threading their fingers together, and presses a lingering kiss to her cheek. "It's okay," she soothes, feeling a slight tremble start up where they're touching. "You don't have to explain. Or understand. Or make me understand. It's okay." She rubs her thumb over the back of Alice's hand, drawing her attention away from the memories, grounding her back in the present. 

Alice nods, ever so slightly, probably the best 'thank you' she'll get. And so she smiles, kissing her cheek again, and squeezes her hand. 

"Explains why you knew sign language. Thought maybe it was one of your super powers... being able to know any language or something." Alice was coming back to her, slowly, so she kept talking. "I'm glad you shared," she said honestly, "every little thing you share makes me feel closer to you. You trust me enough to talk to me. That means more than anything." The stoic woman glances at her, just barely, and Jill hums. "Thank you."

They sit in silence a while afterwards, finishing off the food with a few passes between, and then they're making their sleeping pallets for the night.

It's as they're laying down that she hears Alice. A quiet, hesitant admission that makes her heart soar.

"I trust you with anything, I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

Jill tucks up against her, burying her nose into the back of her neck, breathing her scent in deep, and circles her arms around the woman's abdomen. 

"You'll always tell me when you're ready. Just sleep, we have to deal with the group tomorrow." Alice finally relaxes against her, and Jill ghosts a kiss behind her ear. She'd never quite liked displays of affection, but Alice was... She was different. She was extraordinary. She was so unbelievably strong, but also so very fragile. And anything that could soothe old wounds, staunch the bleeding of her soul, she would do without question.

And as she felt Alice slip into sleep, she let herself give a content smile. They were going to catch hell tomorrow for being late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More is on it's way.... ;)


	3. Chapter 3

"It's alright, Leon," she huffed, glaring in frustration at the man as he continued in his tirade. "Jesus, let it go. We had to detour, it made us a little late. It's no big deal." 

Ada, of course, was simply staring the pair down, and Jill felt every hair bristle. If she wanted trouble-

"Mom!"

The little brunette came bursting out of the room, arms wide, and immediately wrapped herself around Alice. The woman blossomed into a smile, reciprocating the gesture, and Jill couldn't help the grin that overcame her. Beside her, Leon cleared his throat, and she immediately turned to glare at him.

"What's your issue?" They'd been together for nearly a year, and still the man was the epitome of disapproval.

"No issue. But every time you two go out, we have to sit around guessing at when you'll show up again." He focused his attention on the reunion in front of them, and Jill barely contained the urge to punch the handsome off his face. "You were gone longer than what's normal, we started to think you two had been killed. Or worse."

Jill rolled her eyes. "First of all, don't pretend to care. Secondly, search parties often come back late -we don't exactly have a GPS letting us know when or where there is zombie traffic. And lastly.... Fuck you. Like you and Ada haven't come back days after you were supposed to be back." She shifted her stance, tucking her arms against herself. "And we all know why you're late." She saw Leon stiffen slightly. Hit a nerve, did I? "Just because you and Ada can't get your fucking shit straight and stop dancing around what everyone else knows is there, isn't a good reason to crap on other people when they want a little alone time." 

Leon huffs, glaring sideways at her, but Jill only smirks.

"You two can fuck your way into oblivion and still tell us whatever excuses you want to come up with, but.... don't for a moment think the same of Alice and I." She turned on him in a heartbeat, glaring and pointing. "We got back as soon as we could. As if Alice would ever leave Becky any longer than she was forced to."   
From across the room, the woman in question looked up. Of course she'd heard every single word. And as her hug relaxed from the girl, there was already a fire in her eyes. Her and Leon had never quite gotten along, and when herself and Alice had become.... more... that already distrust of Alice had ramped up a little more. 

But to his merit, the man shrugged and moved away, the air still crackling with tension in his wake.

"Don't pay him any attention," Alice's voice cut through her frustration, but only just barely. 

Jill made a noise of agitation, and tightened the arms she'd wrapped around herself. She knew, in the back of her head, that it was a show of defensiveness, but she couldn't bring herself to care. How dare that man judge them-

"Hey." 

She glanced up at the word, finding Alice just an arms-length away, giving that small smile that was easily bigger than an all-out grin. Her heart gave a thump, and she relaxed a fraction.

"He's an asshole, don't listen to him." 

Jill tried to relax her tensed-up muscles, but she couldn't. Everything in her wanted to lash out, to feel her knuckles connect with living flesh....

"Don't let him get to you. Jill." She says her name like she means business, and Jill jars from her thoughts. Softer this time, Alice has that sweet smile on her face and Jill lets her anger melt away. "Hey, Becky has something to show you."

That brings her back to the present, and she looks from Alice to their daughter, who is looking at her with such adoration...

Giving a smile, letting the rest of her anger leave her, she gives the girl a nod.

But when Becky offers up a piece of paper, she can't control the tears that leap into her eyes. It's a scrawled picture of the three of them, hands linked. Becky is in the middle, with their names above each character. 'Me,' and 'Mom' and.... 'Mommy.'

She feels tears well up in her eyes, her hand involuntarily going up to cover the sob that erupts from her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow this never got posted and I'm sorry. I am an idiot, but hopefully this is decent. Sorry this fic has super short chapters. T^T

"How do you sign 'daughter?'" She says into the dark, sitting on the edge of the worn mattress, bracing herself.

She can feel -senses- Alice freeze. But it's not the emotionally-charged freeze she's used to, the feeling that maybe she's toeing the line of acceptable. This is something different.

And just like that, Alice is beside her. In the weak candlelight, Jill can see she's touching her lips with a sideways open palm, thumb to her lips, and then moving her arm down and sideways, with her hand ending face-up close to her waist as if she's cradling an infant.

"Daughter," she says between them, repeating the motion. Jill repeats it, memorizing it like her life depends on it.

"I... Do you think-"

Her thought barely trails off before Alice wraps her in a hug. She's breathing in the woman's scent, nose suddenly buried against her neck, and her strong arms are hugging her so tight it's hard to breathe. It's the most contact they've had for a long while, Alice was never very touchy feely, and Jill lets herself collapse into the woman's arms. 

"Yes. Yes," she hears, something like a happy chuckle vibrating into her bones.

And Jill breaks down. She bursts into tears, hands grabbing onto the body holding her. Her fingers dig into shoulders far stronger than they feel, face tucked into the space between Alice's neck and shoulder. 

"She thinks I'm family," she can feel the wetness of her tears against Alice's neck. The mess of it doesn't matter. "She thinks of me as 'mommy.' She thinks... she thinks of us as a family." 

Alice smiles, such a foreign feeling, and runs her hands over a body that's shaking almost impercetably.

"I... I didn't think I'd ever- that we'd... Oh God." 

Alice presses her lips to her temple reassuringly.

"I want to know more," Jill says, sniffing back further tears. "Teach me. Teach me how to talk to her. I want to know... I need to know." 

"It's late, sweetheart, please. Rest. We can-"

"No. Now. Teach me how to tell her what she means to me."

Alice hesitates. 

"Okay," she concedes. "But then you sleep."

Jill nods, pulling back and wiping at tears with her palms.


End file.
